Little Hero
by ToaXabineh
Summary: (Birthday fic for my friend Rian Moeru!) Link doesn't exactly match up to what most think a hero is. He's certainly brave, but he is young, still ignorant in the ways of the world, and reckless. The four masks that Link carries that are possessed by spirits, wanting to protect their boy, do their best to keep him safe - even the callous spirit of the Fierce Deity mask!


**Hello!**

 **So, I've never written a LoZ fic before, but my friend, Rian Moeru, requested a LoZ onceshot for her birthday gift this year! So ta-dah! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIAN! XD**

 **Now, Rian asked for a fic including the Fierce Deity mask and basically it being sentient, exploring the connection between it and Link, etc... I decided to add in the other masks as well, because if I only wrote about the Fierce Deity mask, this would've been an exceedingly short oneshot XD This might not be exactly what Rian was thinking of, but I tried my best! I stayed up until after midnight writing this x.x I hope you like it, Rian! And if it isn't what you wanted...Well, I guess I'll try again around Christmas, for your Christmas gift fic XD**

 **I hope all you other awesome readers enjoy this fic too! Sorry if some details are wrong, I'm afraid I've only played through a third of the Majora's Mask game and thus had to get most of my information from wikipedia and other stories x.x Also, I changed up what the origin of the Fierce Deity mask just the tiniest bit! The mask isn't possessed by a god, but rather is possessed by the spirit of a warrior! Trust me, it hardly affects anything at all! I just wanted to change up the mask's story a bit!**

 **Disclaimer's on my prof.!**

 **Sorry for any spelling issues (My 'B' button is really sticky, so if there's any words that include the letter B that are misspelled, thats why)!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIAN!**

* * *

When one imagine's what a hero is, they often see in their mind's eye a tall, fearless being. A handsome man who is courageous and armed with muscles, a sharp sword and nerves of steel, protected with metal plates of armor. Someone who is a natural-born leader and spoke their mind, and able to make a woman swoon.

And yet Link was none of this. He was not a man, he was a boy, a teen who wasn't even old enough to drink a tankard of ale, let alone be considered an able-bodied warrior. He was short and skinny, and while he certainly had quite a nice sword and more nerve than most full-grown adults did, he was in no way brawny, and could only wear the somewhat chainmail beneath his tunic, plate armor being far to heavy for him. He was a leader, definitely, but he was far from being a womanizer, and he hardly ever spoke.

But Link was a hero. He'd faced dangers that sent grown men running, and while he fought when there was no other choice, he treated everyone with kindness.

Even the masks.

The four masks in Link's possession, the ones that transformed him both mind and body, were sentient (though no one but Link was aware of this truth). Each possessed a conciousness and, as Link learned over time, a distinct personality. The Deku mask was shy, reserved, but sweet all things considered. The Goron mask, with the face of the Goron who once lived and was called Darmani, was stern, yet good-hearted. The Zora mask, possessed by the spirit of the Zora musician Mikau, was energetic and brash. And the Fierce Deity...Well, he was the one that Link was still attempting to understand. The mask was of a warrior who had once existed long ago, but his name had been lost to the ages. Even the spirit in the mask itself had forgotten his name during the centuries he'd possessed the mask. He was quiet, with an unrivaled temper and controlling persona. When link wore the warrior's mask, the Fierce Deity would, at times, wrench control from Link and take over their shared body until the young hero could manage to wrestle himself back into control.

But despite having to hand constantly let the masks take control of his body, despite all of the arguments he'd have within his mind with the more temperamental of the masks, Link was never unkind. He was a true hero, down to the bone, treating the masks with respect that surely no one else would've given them. Link, so kind-hearted, even would sometimes don one of the masks and let them posses his body and use him to roam around in a physical body, if only for a short time.

The masks appreciated this. Even the cold-hearted Fierce Deity mask, though he would never admit it.

And thus, knowing that young Link was still too ignorant of the world to properly protect himself, the masks took it upon themselves to keep their little hero safe. Link was young, somehow retaining an innocence that any other would have lost, had they gone through everything Link had. This youthfulness and innocence made the spirits in the masks protective of their boy, and so they did all they could to protect him.

Even when he was not wearing one of the masks, Link could hear the four spirits. He was happy to listen to them and any advice they could give him that kept him from making a fatal error. The little nameless Deku spirit knew the swamps better than anyone, he kept Link from roaming too near the murky waters where dangerous beasts sought to drag unsuspecting strangers into the water ("No, not there, Mr. Little Hero! It isn't safe!"). Similarly, Darmani and Mikau provided Link advice when the young boy was visiting the places they once lived. Darmani kept Link from straying too close to the steep mountain edges ("No, Tiny Hero. Do not stray so near the edge."), and Mikau made sure Link never came too close to the places deep within the Great Bay where more dangerous creatures lurked and stalked their prey ("Unless you want to become fish food, Kid, you might want to turn around and head back.").

The Fierce Deity did not try to keep Link from troublesome places. Rather, he instead aided the boy when a fight would, inevitably, take place. In his own rough, coarse way, the spirit would warn the boy of attacks he couldn't see coming, would bark out orders ("Raise your shield! Now!" "The legs, you fool, swing at its legs!") that would ensure the boy was not killed because of a simple error in battle. When Link was too weary or pained to fight, the Fierce Deity would force the boy to don the mask that contained him and take full control, forcing Link to rest ("Sleep, you Foolish Little Hero! You obviously can't walk on your own, let alone fight!"). He was harsh, no doubt there, but it was how the spirit showed that he cared: by keeping the foolish little hero alive.

Link was a hero. To the masks, he was _their_ little hero. It seemed only right that they protect him, just as he protected them.

And Link liked this. He'd been alone so often, it felt nice to have people show him so much care (even if those people were not technically "people"). He liked that they cared, just like he liked their names for him: Deku called him Mr. Little Hero, Darmani called him Tiny Hero, Mikau called him kid, and the Fierce Deity called him Foolish Little Hero (not the kindest name, but it still made Link smile).

He was glad to have the masks. He often didn't feel like a hero, but the masks somehow managed to make him feel a little more... _heroic_.

 _"Do you plan to just lie here and smile for the rest of the morning, you Foolish Little Hero?"_

Link laughed slightly at the Fierce Deity's cross tone. It seemed someone was a little antsy today. He said as much to the mask as he sat up in his bed, running a hand through his gold-colored locks. The Fierce Deity only scoffed, while Mikau laughed.

 _"Can you blame him? Simply sitting around and doing nothing: the novelty wears off quite quickly, Kid."_

"Alright." Link submitted in his soft, hesitant voice, standing and moving to the nearby dresser. As he noted that he could feel all four mask spirits inside his mind, he pulled on the familiar chainmail and green tunic he always wore. His boots were soon tugged on as well and, pulling on his green, point-tipped hat, the teen moved to the window at the back wall. He leaned his hands against the window sill, peering out at the courtyard beyond.

Yes...It was nice to not be alone and have those who cared about him.

"So, what should we do today, then?"


End file.
